There is no question that Real Salt Lake (RSL) earned this championship. They faced the Los Angeles Galaxy for the MSL Cup on Sunday. RSL's victory was completely unexpected especially against the Galaxy.
RSL wasn't even expected to make it into the playoffs. They weren't even expected to beat Columbus or Chicago in the first two rounds of the playoffs but they were able to work as a team and build upon each other's strengths in order to win the title.
"It's a Cinderella story, it really is" remarked RSL midfielder Ned Grabavoy. This success was the result of two years of hard work and gradual team building. Jason Kreis took charge in May 2007 of the team and when Garth Lagewey joined four months later they were able to build a stronger team by reviewing and working on changing the persistent errors the team was making.
By making these changes they were able to make a better club and were able to get not only better players but a binding team spirit. Then when the team got captain Kyle Beckerman it was the best trade they could have made. With this team the players and coaches were able to build a good team through hard work and determination.
This is the team's first victory. They made it to the Western Conference last year but lost. They were inconsistent and immodest which were two problems they faced. But the team pulled together and survived to the final game. Even though two players had to be taken out because of a strained knee and illness, the team pulled together and kept the ball constantly moving.
Many players realized with RSL that they may be good at certain things but the coaches were asking for more. The coaches helped turn each player into better defensive and offensive players by focusing on their strengths and weaknesses. Over time RSL players improved themselves and it paid off.
There were many important players in this final game. However, Nick Rimando the goalkeeper saved the day. He won MVP after stopping two penalty kicks. Romando paved the way for Robbie Russell's game clinching score.
Rimando is at the top of the league when it comes to penalty kicks. He has only had 11 goals go in out of 20 penalty kicks attempts. Which means that he is far better at stopping penalty kicks than many MLS players. Opposing shooters only have a 69 percent chance of success against him.
Even if you're a Galaxy fan you have to admit that RSL played the better game. The fact that Rimando was able to save Donovan's kick was amazing! But just the fact that this team was able to clench the victory against the all powerful Galaxy says a lot. This is truly a sweet victory for RSL.
Tags: MSL and RSL, MSL cup 2009, Real Salt Lake, Salt Lake sports, SLC soccer, soccer championship
